


And Now the Silence Screams

by crmsndragonwngs



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Death, Eventual Smut, I’ll tag more as I go, M/M, Minor Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, but that’s really not the focus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:14:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28411500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crmsndragonwngs/pseuds/crmsndragonwngs
Summary: Raditz would do anything for his prince. But loyalty, it seems, is a one way street.OrIn which I explore Raditz and Vegeta’s relationship between their first meeting and Raditz’s death, and what might have happened between them to make Vegeta so uncaring when Raditz dies.
Relationships: Raditz/Vegeta (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 22





	1. 14 October, Age 734

**Author's Note:**

> “Cuz I can feel your soul fade  
> I can feel your heart change  
> It falls out of phase with mine  
> While you oscillate inside  
> Or is it only in my head?”

“I’m so proud of you, baby.” Gine says, picking at a knot in her son’s long hair. Raditz snorts and crosses his arms, still a bit chubby with baby fat, over his narrow chest. “Your instructors have been very impressed with your tactical skill and combat ability.” She continues, smiling softly. “They said you might even be stronger than your dad.”

“Of course I am.” Raditz huffs, turning his head so that he can see her from the corner of his eye. “Stronger than you, too.”

“Well, that goes without saying.” Gine laughs, stroking his chubby cheek with one finger. Raditz’s face softens then, and he turns and throws himself at her, wrapping his arms tight around her neck. 

“I’ll miss you, mom.” He says softly, his voice wavering a little. Gine smiles and hugs him back. 

“I’ll miss you too, baby.” She murmurs, pressing her face into Raditz’s hair. 

—

“We’ve landed.” Leek says quietly, shaking Bardock’s shoulder. “Bet you’re excited to get back to your mate, huh?” 

“Yeah.” Bardock replies, voice gravely with sleep. He unbuckles his harness and stands, stretching and yawning hugely. 

Leek does the same, then squints at the tarmac. “Hey, isn’t that your kid?” Bardock follows his gaze, eyes easily finding his seven year old son in the crowd. He’s hard to miss with all that hair, and Bardock grins at the sight of his boy dressed out in Saiyan battle armor, a green-lensed scouter just like his own over his left eye. 

“So it is.” Bardock says, hopping down from the ship and onto the tarmac. “Raditz!” He calls, and the boy stiffens and turns, eyes scanning the crowd. Bardock lifts a hand and Raditz’s eyes snap to him, a grin breaking out over his face. 

“Dad!” He calls back, lifting his own hand before running over. His tail falls from his waist and curls high in the air, waving happily in greeting. 

“I didn’t think I’d catch you before you shipped out.” Bardock says warmly, ruffling Raditz’s hair. “You excited for your first mission?”

“Course, dad.” Raditz replies, swatting at Bardock’s hand. Bardock chuckles softly and puts his hands on his hips, appraising his son. 

“A fine warrior you have grown to be.” He says, and Raditz beams at him. 

“Fine indeed.” Another voice says then, and Bardock looks up at Commander Nappa as he approaches. “How was your mission, Bardock?”

“Routine, Commander.” Bardock replies, standing straighter. 

“Good to be home, huh?” 

“Yes, sir. Feel like I could sleep for a week.” Bardock chuckles, and Nappa throws his head back, laughing hugely. “How long is your tour?”

“Two years.” Nappa replies, clapping Raditz hard enough on the back to knock him off balance. Bardock reaches out and catches the boy’s shoulder, steadying him. 

“Ah. I’ll likely be off-planet again by the time you return.” He says, smiling apologetically. “You’ll have to save your stories for me. I’ll want to hear of your exploits in battle.”

“Okay, dad.” Raditz says. “I can’t wait to tell you everything, and show you how strong I’ve gotten!”

“That’s my boy.” Bardock chuckles, pride swelling in his chest. 

—

Raditz’s first kill is some bug-like creature with bright pink blood that splatters all over his face, hot and sticky and disgusting. 

“You bastard.” The creature had growled just before he’d dispatched it, and Raditz had frozen in place, the truth dawning on him the moment the creature had blown apart. He stares for a long time, his mind blank one moment and spinning the next, and it’s not until Fava grabs him by the collar of his armor and hauls him out of the way of an attack that he comes back to himself. 

“You okay, kid?” Fava asks, setting Raditz down and crouching so that he is eye level with the younger Saiyan. 

“Yeah. M’fine.” Raditz mumbles, turning to stare at the hole in the ground where the creature had been. 

“First one’s always the hardest.” Fava says softly, patting Raditz’s shoulder. “It gets easier, I promise.”

“I know.” Raditz says, shaking himself and turning back to his squad mate. “C’mon. Let’s get back to the others.” 

“Roger that.” Fava says with a smile, standing and leading the way. 

—

“Man, I can’t wait to get back home.” Chard says, stretching and yawning hugely. Fava looks up from his food and raises an eyebrow. 

“We still got another month on this planet.” He points out, laughing when Chard frowns. “Too bad there’s no moon. We’d be done with this shithole in one night.”

“Well, there’s not.” Nappa huffs, tearing into his own chunk of meat. “We’re stuck purging this planet the hard way. And anyway, even if there was a moon, Frieza wants the planet intact. Four Oozaru would rip this place apart.”

“Hey, how’s the kid doing?” Fava asks suddenly, looking around. “He froze up out on the battlefield the other day.”

“He’s okay.” Nappa replies. “He’s up in that tree over there. Said he needed some time to think.”

“What’s there to think about?” Chard snorts. “Easier to just not think about it. Frieza likes us better when we’re mindless anyway.”

“Yeah, but he’s Bardock’s kid, isn’t he?” Fava says, looking at Nappa. 

“Mm-hmm.” Nappa hums. “And because of that, the boy’s a little more cerebral than you two dopes. Got perfect marks in tactical and combat adaptability. He thinks fast and moves faster. That’s why the king put him with us.”

“I heard about that.” Fava mumbles, looking down at his food again. “Seems the kid really is his father’s son.”

“Now if we can just get him hardened, he’ll grow to become one of the best fighters in the Saiyan army, I’m sure of it.” Nappa says, grinning. “Wish all our soldiers had talent like Raditz does. Maybe then we’d stand a chance against Frieza.”

“Yeah, right.” Chard snorts. “The only way that’d happen is if he somehow became the legendary Super Saiyan, but we all know that’s never gonna happen.”

“Just a fairy tale, anyhow.” Fava adds. “We’ll never be outta Frieza’s clutches. We’ll die in the service of that ugly fucking lizard, whether we like it or not.”

—

Raditz can hear them talking, can hear them wishing all the soldiers were like him. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to block them out, trying to hear anything but their hopeful murmurs, anything but the static in his brain that hasn’t stopped since he’d killed that creature two days ago. 

He can’t get it out of his head. The fear in its eyes. How sticky its blood had been. He presses the heels of his hands into his eyes and tries not to cry. He can’t cry, he’s a Saiyan warrior. And Saiyan warriors don’t fucking cry. 

—

“What do you think, kid?” Nappa asks, drawing Raditz out of his thoughts. 

“Bout what?” He mumbles, leaning over to look at the screen. 

“About the plan.” Nappa says, frowning. “C’mon, kid, stay with me.”

“Sorry.” Raditz huffs, studying the map and the marks Nappa has made on it. “Looks good to me. But I think if we split up and flank instead of just charging the frontlines, we’ll be done faster. Easier, too. Less resistance if we sneak up on ‘em.” 

“Sneak attacks aren’t how we operate, Raditz.” Nappa says, his voice hard. Raditz scrubs his face with his hands. 

“You asked me for my opinion and I gave it.” He says, turning and walking away. 

“Almost like he doesn’t wanna fight.” Chard snorts when the boy’s out of earshot. 

“He’s just having trouble adjusting. He’ll catch his stride soon enough.” Nappa replies, frowning at Raditz’s back. 

—

“Fava, Raditz! Head up the left side and kill those fucking gunners.” Nappa yells. Raditz barely hears him over the rush of his own blood in his ears. 

“C’mon, kid, stay with me.” Fava says, grabbing Raditz’s arm and pulling him along. That seems to have become a mantra among the squad. He wishes they’d just shut up and leave him the fuck alone. 

“No structural damage! Frieza’s gonna love all this marble shit.” Nappa adds through their scouters. 

“Affirmative.” Fava answers, then drags Raditz into the tower and up the stairs. “You gotta get your head in the game, Raditz. I’m counting on you.”

“I’m with you, goddammit!” Raditz snarls, yanking his arm free and pushing past the older Saiyan. He takes the stairs two at a time, pausing on the landing long enough to assess the room in front of him. 

Two combatants, one with a long range weapon, battle power 100, the other with what looks to be explosives, battle power 102. Raditz goes for the one with the explosives, dodging the creature’s claws as it swipes, then stepping forward and putting his fist through the creature’s chest. He barely hears Fava dispatch the sniper over the buzzing in his head, static filling his brain as he pulls his hand back. Pink goo drips from his fingers and from the small mass of flesh beating frantically in his hand, still connected to its host by one long vein. Raditz looks up into the creature’s eyes, or at least what he thinks are its eyes, and curls his fingers closed, crushing its heart. He stares at it as it goes down, and suddenly he feels as though he is on the ceiling, watching as his own body turns and walks back toward the stairs. Fava yells...something, but he can’t hear it over the white noise. He just keeps walking, drifting lifelessly toward the ground floor. 

Fava catches up to him on the landing and grabs his arm above the elbow, pulling him backward just as a projectile whizzes past his face. He turns and yanks Fava down to his level, and punches him square in the nose. 

“Touch me again, and I’ll kill you.” Raditz snarls, baring his canines. 

“Damn.” Fava hisses. “Got one hell of a punch, kid.”

“Hey!” Nappa barks then, cutting through the fog in Raditz’s brain. “What the fuck was that?” 

Raditz blinks, eyes shifting from Fava to Nappa and then back. “Sorry.” He mumbles, shaking out his hand. “I don’t know what I was… fuck. I’m sorry.”

“S’alright. My first mission was hard, too.” Fava says, putting his hand on Raditz’s shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. You’ll even start to enjoy it.”

“Yeah.” Raditz says, looking away. 

—

He doesn’t dream. Not really. And that’s good, because he doesn’t want to know what horrors his dreams would be filled with if he did. 

He’s scared of going home. He’s scared that the safety of home will finally allow him to dream. He’s starting to think he’d prefer the numbness of the front lines. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not actually finished with this one yet, but I’ve got a clear path so I’m gonna go ahead and start posting it lol. I don’t normally like posting until I’m done with the fic, but y’know.
> 
> Anyway, this is not the behemoth AU that I’ve been talking about over on tumblr, but it is something I’ve been working on for a bit and I’m excited for y’all to read it!
> 
> As you can see, I’m using Earth’s calendar. Obviously I don’t think that the Saiyans or the Frieza Force used Earth’s dating system, but I really didn’t want to invent my own lol.
> 
> I’m following DBS Broly’s canon (I think???) for their ages, so when Planet Vegeta is destroyed, Raditz is 10 and Vegeta is 7. Saiyan children are drafted into the military at 5, which is when they begin training, and they are sent on their first missions at 7. So in this chapter, Raditz is 7. (Which for some reason I can’t find the source on??? Did I imagine it??? Idek anymore lol)


	2. 2 May, 735

Gine spots her son easily on the tarmac. He’s easy to find with his long, beautiful hair, and she breaks into a run, calling out to him. 

He doesn’t hear her, or at least he doesn’t react, and if she’d been paying attention, she might have seen something off about him. She might have seen his tail dragging behind him, or the slump in his shoulders. She might have seen the lifeless glaze over his eyes. 

She scoops Raditz up in her arms instead, hugging him tightly and pressing her face into his hair. 

He smells like blood and ash and death. 

“Get off me!” Raditz snarls, and Gine has never heard him like this. She pulls back, staring at him in shock, and she does not recognize the boy that glares back at her. 

“Raditz?” She says, cupping his little face in her hand. He’s thin, his features all sharp angles and bruised flesh, and tears fill her eyes. That seems to bring him out of his fugue, and all at once his face crumples. He lurches forward, wrapping his arms around her neck and pressing his face into her shoulder, then lets loose a sob that wracks his whole body. “Oh, baby.” Gine breathes, holding him tightly. 

“He still needs to report, Gine.” Nappa says gruffly, appearing in front of them with a stern look on his face. 

“Like hell he does.” She snarls, her tail bristling and lashing behind her. Nappa recoils, something like fear flashing through his eyes. Then he nods and turns away, leaving her to tend to her child. 

—

Raditz is so quiet. He was never this quiet before. Gine watches him from the kitchen as he drifts around the house, his eyes vacant as he scans the room over and over again. She reaches for a knife to chop the vegetables and accidentally knocks it off the counter instead, and Raditz nearly jumps out of his own skin when it clatters on the floor. His eyes turn wild, his tail snapping around his waist and bristling, and his hair raises as he charges his ki. 

“Raditz.” Gine says calmly, and his attention shifts to her. “It’s okay, baby. You’re safe.” She continues, watching for recognition to flash in his eyes. When it finally does, he sags immediately, his tail dropping to the floor with a thud and his power dissipating all at once. She goes to him, kneeling down in front of him and catching him when he stumbles toward her. 

“I’m sorry, mom.” He says brokenly, his arms hanging limp at his sides. His knees buckle and he leans into her. 

“Don’t apologize, baby.” She murmurs, picking him up and hugging him tight. “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“I’m so tired.” He sobs, his arms finally winding around her neck. 

“I know.” She murmurs. She carries him to his room and sits down on his bed, sitting him in her lap and pulling him away so that she can look him in the eye. “Did I ever tell you about my first mission?”

Raditz sniffs and stares at her with big eyes. “Nuh-uh.” She hums and pets his hair, smiling when he leans into the touch. 

“I was about your age. My battle power was barely high enough to make me a mid class warrior, and so I was assigned to your father’s squad. He was 15, and had only just returned a year before from the planet he’d been sent to as an infiltration baby. My instructors thought that Bardock would be able to teach me how to be a proper soldier, since he’d quite literally clawed his way up as a combatant. Trial by fire sort of thing. 

“I wasn’t really cut out for fighting. I wasn’t naturally talented or powerful like you are, and I didn’t like it anyway, so I spent most of the mission hiding behind a rock or up in a tree. Your father was constantly dragging me back into the fight. I’m pretty sure he hated me back then.” She laughs at the memory, looking down into Raditz’s wide eyes. 

“Anyway, I got separated from the group at some point, and was cornered by several hostiles. I was pretty sure I was gonna die. Then something in me snapped and I got so angry, angrier than I had ever been before, and I lashed out. Killed every one of them. When I finally came back to myself, I realized what I had done and withdrew completely. I was horrified. I didn’t like killing, and told Bardock right then that I would never kill again. And he looked at me with the most gentle look on his face, and knelt down so that we were eye level, and said, “Gine, sometimes we don’t have a choice. You have to remember that these creatures we are here to kill are trying to kill us too. If we don’t fight, we die. It’s as simple as that.’”

“Did that actually work?” Raditz asks, his voice flat. Gine laughs and shakes her head. 

“Of course not. It made everything worse!” She says, cupping Raditz’s face in her hands. “I was terrified of fighting. Your father was constantly saving me. And then one day, years later, he took a hit for me that would have killed me, and he got hurt so bad I thought he was going to die. And I lost my mind. I put myself between Bardock and the enemy, and I killed every last one of them. I didn’t think. I didn’t even feel remorse. I was protecting my friend, and that was all that mattered.” She smiles again, stroking her son’s little face with her thumbs. “It was easier after that, but I still didn’t like it. Asked for a transfer when we came back home from that one.” She sighs and shakes her head. “The point of all this, baby, is that it’s okay to be scared and to hate fighting. But it will get easier. Especially if you have something to fight for.”

“Yeah, I know.” Raditz sniffs, looking away. 

“You know, I was going to wait until after you ate and had a nap, but I think now’s as good a time as any to show you.” Gine says softly, standing up and putting Raditz on her hip.  _ He’s almost too big to be carried around _ , she muses sadly, then takes him into the storage room where they’d installed an incubation pod. Raditz spots it immediately and squirms in her arms. She puts him down and he runs to the pod, putting his hands on the glass and staring inside. 

“Is that—“

“That is your baby brother. We named him Kakarot.” Gine says, putting a hand on Raditz’s head. “He’s very weak right now, and much smaller than average, so he needs to be protected and kept safe.”

“Wow.” Raditz says, gazing at the tiny infant with wonder in his eyes. “I’m a big brother.”

“You sure are.” Gine murmurs. “And I’m counting on you to help me protect him, baby.”

“I will.” Raditz says, a fierce edge to his voice. 

—

“How has his training progressed?” King Vegeta III asks, walking with one of the Saiyan army’s instructors at his side. 

“Very well, your majesty.” The instructor replies, matching the king’s stride. “He has exceeded all expectations. He is ready to join Commander Nappa’s squad on your order.”

“Very good.” The king hums, grinning widely. “Start making the arrangements. And bring Nappa’s squad to the throne room. I’d like to personally address the soldiers who will serve alongside my son.”

—

Prince Vegeta IV stands at his father’s side, looking down upon the Saiyan warriors who are to serve him. The big one he knows well already. Commander Nappa and the king had trained together when they were young, and the prince had met him on several occasions, both professionally and as friends. The other two adults, Fava and Chard, are unknown to him, but they avert their eyes from his gaze like good subjects should. But the boy among them, Raditz, stares outright, meeting the prince’s gaze with no expression in his eyes. Prince Vegeta stares back, challenging the boy, but Raditz seems to stare right through him as though he’s not even there. 

Bastard’s starting to piss him off. 

The king’s hand lands on his head then, patting him gently as though to calm him down. He dismisses the warriors and waits for them to leave before turning to his son, kneeling to meet his gaze. 

“What do you think, my son?” He asks, his hand still on the prince’s head. Prince Vegeta frowns deeply, turning his face away. 

“The boy, Raditz. He did not avert his gaze.” He replies. The king chuckles softly. 

“He only just returned from his first mission. He has the look about him that most new soldiers do. I suspect that you will look similar when you return. He meant no disrespect, I’m sure of it.” He says, patting him gently. “And anyway, if he did mean to stare, then be confident that he will treat you as a soldier, rather than a fragile aristocrat.”

“I am not fragile.” Prince Vegeta growls, baring his canines. The king laughs outright, big and deep. 

“Of course not, my son. Far from it indeed.” He replies, standing and striding back to his throne. 

—

“My prince? What brings you to the training grounds today? I would have thought you’d be enjoying your last day planetside with your father.” Nappa asks as Prince Vegeta steps into the sparring ring. Vegeta reaches up to undo the snaps on his cape and tosses it aside. 

“I’ve spent enough time in the company of my father.” He answers, drawing his tail up around his waist. “I was thinking it might be prudent to get to know my new squad mates.”

“Of course, your highness.” Nappa says, bowing. 

“Cut it out, Nappa.” Vegeta snarls, dropping into a fighting stance. “I wish to be treated as a soldier, not as a prince. And if you hold back, I will kill you. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, Vegeta.” Nappa says, taking a step back. 

“Good. Now spar with me.” Vegeta commands. 

—

“You. What is your name?” Vegeta snaps, standing in front of Raditz. He remembers the boy’s name, of course, but he wants him to think he is so insignificant that his name is not worth remembering. But he just looks up dumbly, his face perfectly blank. 

“Raditz.” He answers dully, then looks back down at the floor. 

“You know who I am?” Vegeta presses, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You are Prince Vegeta IV, heir to the throne and the strongest Saiyan born in 1,000 years.” Raditz says without looking up, then adds, almost as an afterthought, “It is an honor to serve you, my prince.”

“Is it?” Vegeta huffs. “This is the second time you have treated me with such insolence.” He expects the boy to panic and snap to attention, but Raditz just sighs and stands, bowing at the waist. 

“My apologies, your highness. It was not my intention to show you any disrespect. I am in your command and at your disposal.” He says, straightening and pressing his fist over his heart in the most mechanical salute Vegeta has ever seen. 

“Very good.” Vegeta says, narrowing his eyes at Raditz. “My father says you are a talented soldier. Strong, fast, and smart. I’d like to see that for myself.”

“I’d rather not.” Raditz huffs, meeting Vegeta’s gaze with something like anger in his eyes. 

“It wasn’t a request, Raditz.” Vegeta growls. “You will spar with me.” Raditz grits his teeth, undeniable anger flashing in his eyes this time. 

“Fine.” He hisses, then turns on his heel and marches toward the ring. 

In all his life, Prince Vegeta has  _ never _ been treated with such disrespect. No Saiyan has  _ ever _ regarded him so flippantly, as though he were an equal. And he should be angry. He should be  _ furious _ . But he’s not. 

He’s  _ excited _ . 

—

The prince thinks he’s such tough shit. He’s so fucking cocky as he strides into the ring, squaring up to Raditz and raising his hands. 

_ Stupid, self-righteous brat _ , Raditz thinks viscously, dropping into his own stance and wrapping his tail around his waist.  _ Has no idea what he’s in for. Royal pain in the ass, only ever known his cushy little palace.  _

He makes the first move, launching himself at Prince Vegeta with a feral snarl. The rage he’d discovered out on the battlefield slides into place within him, fitting comfortably over everything he was before his four month exposure to the horrors of war, and he loses himself in the motion of their fight. It’s more than just his training that carries him. It’s the instincts buried bone deep in his young body, the experience he’d gained killing those fucking insects, the true life or death intuition that can only be granted by a real fight. The little prince knows nothing of war, nothing of death and destruction, and Raditz is more than happy to give him a taste. 

The prince is brutally strong, and he meets Raditz punch for punch, kick for kick. He grins, baring his canines and snarling back, trying to use his smaller size to slip into Raditz’s defense. But for all his strength, he is woefully inexperienced. All of his training had been sterile, like Raditz’s had, in a controlled environment with opponents who would have never dared to truly hurt him. But the longer Raditz fights, the more his senses leave him, and it’s not long before he is fighting for his life.

Suddenly, it is not his arrogant, cocksure prince blocking his punch and aiming an elbow at his face. It is an insect, pink blood dripping from a cut Raditz had opened on its cheek, one of its serrated claws darting for his belly. Raditz’s hand flashes out and catches the insect’s throat, and he pushes it backward, slamming it against the wall and pressing hard. He snarls at it, guttural and savage, and he is so lost in the flashback that he doesn’t feel Nappa’s hands on his shoulders, trying to pull him back. He charges his ki, focusing the violet energy into the hand pressing into the insect’s throat, ready to finish this fight before the creature has a chance to cut him open and spill his guts all over the floor. 

“Raditz, that’s enough!” Nappa screams from somewhere very far away, but all Raditz can hear is the insect’s harsh laughter. It bares its fangs, and then there is a blinding flash of light, and Raditz and Nappa both fly backward, slamming into the opposite wall and crumpling to the ground. 

“Now  _ that _ was a fight!” Prince Vegeta crows, his voice hoarse, and Raditz looks up at him when he approaches. Raditz blinks at him, confused, and struggles to get to his feet. 

“Where did the—“ he starts, then pales, his blood freezing in his veins. He drops back to his knees, prostrating himself before his prince. “I— I’m so sorry, Prince Vegeta. Please forgive me.” 

“Forgive you?” Vegeta laughs again, louder this time. “I should be thanking you! You’re the first person to really  _ fight _ me!” He offers a hand to Raditz, a huge grin on his face. Raditz stares at the prince’s hand, then takes a deep breath and clasps his wrist. Vegeta pulls him up and claps a hand on his shoulder, laughing at the bewilderment on his face. “We shall be good friends indeed, Raditz. Are you ready for round two?”

Raditz looks back at Nappa, seeing his own bewilderment mirrored on the big man’s face, then turns back to Vegeta and nods. 

“Sure. Ready when you are.”

—

They are set to ship out once Prince Vegeta’s training is officially completed, and Raditz spends as much time as he can at home with his mother and his baby brother still sleeping in his incubation pod. He wishes his father were home. It would be nice to spend some time with him while he still can. 

A strange sense of dread fills him when he thinks of leaving Vegetasei, and he catches himself beginning to panic half a dozen times the day before his muster date. He doesn’t want to go. He wants to protect his mother and Kakarot, though from what he isn’t sure. 

He wakes in a panic for the third time that night, and resigns himself to sleeplessness. He gets out of bed and pads barefoot to the storage room, squinting into the blue glow that pours out the door when he opens it. He sits in front of his baby brother’s pod, gazing up at him and smiling softly. 

“I’m leaving again tomorrow, Kaka. I wish I could stay, but Nappa and Prince Vegeta are counting on me. I was hoping I’d get to be here when you finally wake up.” Raditz murmurs, watching the baby’s tail wave mindlessly as he sleeps. “I can’t wait to meet you. I promise I’ll have better control of myself when we spar for the first time. I won’t lose it like I did with the prince.” 

He sniffs, looking away, and takes a deep breath. “You have to take care of mom. Dad is off-planet so much, and now I’m gonna be gone too, and mom’s always here alone. She needs you, Kaka.” He laughs bitterly then, his tail twitching, and looks back up at Kakarot. “I envy you, y’know. Wish I was weak, too. Wish I could work with mom at the meat packer instead of conquering planets. Nappa says that I’m strong because mom was a mid class warrior and dad was an infiltration baby who survived. He says that I inherited all their strengths. Says that I’m too much like mom for my own good, though. Too gentle, or whatever. He says that’s why I’m having such a difficult time adjusting. He thinks that having another kid in the squad will help me, but I don’t like Prince Vegeta. I don’t think he can help me with shit.”

He huffs, baring his teeth and shaking his head. “Dunno what I’m gonna do, Kaka. Every time I think about leaving, I just get so scared. Feels like I’m gonna die. I hate fighting.” He looks up at his little brother again, searching his peaceful face as though it has the answers he wants, then drops his head in his hands and sighs deeply. “I hope you never have to fight, Kaka. I hope you never fear for your life. I don’t want you to ever know what it’s like to stare death in the face.”

—

“Nervous?” Raditz asks, for lack of anything else to say. The prince looks at him, brow furrowing just slightly before he scoffs and waves his hand. 

“Of course not. The hell kind of question is that?” Vegeta snaps. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t either on my first mission.” Raditz says, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing toward where the adults are chatting. “I am now, though.”

“That’s absurd. You’ve already been off-planet, what is there to be nervous about now?” Vegeta asks, glaring at him. Raditz just shrugs and looks away again. Vegeta snorts. “And now you have me on your squad. There is nothing to be nervous about.”

“This isn’t gonna be like boot camp, Vegeta. This is real. These things are gonna be trying to kill us.” Raditz says, narrowing his eyes at the horizon. “You’ve never killed anyone before. It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“Nonsense.” Vegeta snorts. “They are just aliens. Nobody cares about them anyway.” 

“If you say so.” Raditz says, suddenly very tired. “I’m gonna go find my mom and say goodbye.” And he ignores the prince’s laughter at his back as he walks away. 

—

“I’m leaving, mom.” Raditz calls from somewhere out front, and Gine drops everything to rush out the door. He’s standing just inside the shop, and she hesitates when she sees him. He looks younger than his nine years, standing there with his tail hanging limp and his face turned to the floor. There are dark circles under his eyes, and Gine can tell he hadn’t slept at all last night. 

“Baby, if you don’t want to go, I can plead to the king for you to be transferred.” She says softly, kneeling in front of him and cupping his cheek in her hand. He looks at her, eyes wide and astonished and so achingly  _ hopeful _ , then he seems to catch himself and shakes his head vehemently. 

“No, I have to go. I’ll be okay, mom, I just need to adjust.” He says, mechanical and flat, and Gine’s heart breaks for her oldest son. 

“I love you, Raditz. I know I don’t say it enough, but I do. And I’ll be right here when you get back home.” She says, then grabs his shoulders and pulls him to her, hugging him tightly. He hugs her back without hesitation, his little body shaking as he takes a deep breath and tries not to cry. 

“I love you, too, mom.” He whispers, and Gine has to bite the inside of her cheek hard to keep from crying herself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was kind of long. The next one is kind of short and set up a little differently. Anyway, hope this chapter lived up to everyone's expectations! And that it continues to do so!! XD


	3. 4 January, 736

_ Hello, Raditz. Today’s date is 4 January, Age 736.  _

_ Destination set to: Planet Cheldi, 0.20 parsec from Planet Vegeta.  _

_ Estimated time of arrival: 21 December, Age 736 _

_ Mission brief: destroy all lifeforms _

_ Additional details: planet required intact, class three combatants, no moon present, climate is mild, air quality sufficient _

_ Attack Ball voyage protocol set to: stasis level two, deep sleep _

_ Initiating stasis in three, two, one… _

_ Sleep well, warrior.  _

—

_ Incoming transmission… _

_ Assessing signal urgency… _

_ Class four, nonessential _

_ Sending to: scouter message inbox _

_ Date: 18 November, Age 736 _

_ Transmission from: Saiyan engineer class three, Gine _

_ Hello, Gine. Please leave a message for: Saiyan warrior mid-class, Raditz _

“Honey, it’s mama. Everything’s fine, I just wanted to let you know that we woke up Kakarot today. We had to send him away. I’m sorry, baby, I know that’s not the best news, but we didn’t have a choice. We’re sending him to a planet called Earth. It’s a very low class planet, no identified combatants, so he should be okay. But, just in case, baby, I want you to go find him when you can. Your father’s worried—“

“Gine, watch what you say.”

“Sorry, Bardock. Nevermind, baby, just call me back when you get this. I wanna hear your voice and tell you how much I love you.”

_ End of transmission _

_ — _

_ Incoming transmission… _

_ Assessing signal urgency… _

_ Class two, essential _

_ Initiating Attack Ball voyage protocol override in three, two… _

_ Override denied _

_ Sending to: scouter message inbox _

_ Date: 4 December, Age 736 _

_ Transmission from: Saiyan warrior mid-class, Captain Bardock _

_ Hello, Captain Bardock. Please leave a message for: Saiyan warrior mid-class, Raditz _

“Goddammit, I was sent to his inbox.”

“By whom?”

“Dunno, it didn’t say. Probably Nappa.”

“Try again.”

“Yeah, okay.”

_ End of transmission  _

_ Incoming transmission… _

_ Assessing signal urgency… _

_ Class two, essential  _

_ Initiating Attack Ball voyage protocol override in three, two, one… _

_ Override denied _

_ Sending to: scouter message inbox _

_ Date: 4 December, Age 736 _

_ Transmission from: Saiyan warrior mid-class, Captain Bardock _

_ Hello, Captain Bardock. Please leave a message for: Saiyan warrior mid-class, Raditz _

“Message inbox again. I’m gonna try an emergency signal.”

_ End of transmission  _

_ Incoming transmission… _

_ Assessing signal urgency… _

_ Class one, emergency _

_ Initiating Attack Ball voyage protocol override in three... _

_ Override denied, emergency passcode 2174, Prince Vegeta _

_ Sending to: Prince Vegeta’s scouter _

_ Date: 4 December, Age 736 _

_ Transmission from: Saiyan warrior mid-class, Captain Bardock _

_ Hello, Captain Bardock. You will be connected to Saiyan warrior elite-class, Prince Vegeta, in three, two, one… _

“Fuck, it’s the prince.”

“You better have one hell of a good reason for waking me up.”

“My prince, I have to talk to my son. Please, it’s an emergency.”

“It can wait until we land.”

“No, your highness. I have to speak with him now.”

“Well then, what is it? If it’s that grave, then I should know about it, shouldn’t I?”

“All due respect, your highness, but it isn’t any of your business.”

“No? Then it’s not an emergency, is it?”

“It is! Please, I need to speak with my son!”

“I’m hanging up. Call again, and I will send orders to have you arrested. We are arriving on… the 21st. You may speak with Raditz then.”

“Wait! Fine, I’ll tell you!”

“Well?”

“Just... something strange is going on. Sometime after you land, you’re going to get a call to return. You can’t return, Prince Vegeta. Something terrible is going to happen, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it. You have to stay away from Vegetasei.”

“What is going to happen? And how was this not my business?”

“I mean you no disrespect in saying this, my prince, but the only person I know I can trust is my son. You know who is watching you too closely, and frankly, I’m afraid that telling you this has been a mistake.”

“What is going to happen, Bardock?”

“I can’t say. Just please listen to me, do not return to Vegetasei. Continue your mission and stay away from here.”

“Fine. But you know that ignoring orders is punishable by imprisonment.”

“Your punishment will be far worse if you return, your highness.”

“I will give what you have said some thought, Captain. And I will tell Raditz to call you immediately upon arrival. But you must understand that I can’t have you waking up my squad mates for messages that can wait until we land. It’s bad enough you woke me.”

“And I apologize for that, my prince, but I really need to talk to my son now. Please.”

“No. I am hanging up.”

_ Disconnected _

_ — _

“Fuck!” Bardock snarls, ripping his scouter off his ear and throwing it across the room. Gine catches it, frowning at him. 

“You break this thing and Raditz won’t be able to call you back.” She growls, setting it gently on the table. “Calm, my love. We must be calm.”

“I just… are we doing the wrong thing?” Bardock says, dropping into a chair and scrubbing his face with his hands. “Maybe we should leave. Go after Kakarot.”

“You said it yourself, Bardock. Frieza will know, and he’ll send soldiers after us. He won’t go after a low-class child with no potential to become a Super Saiyan.” Gine says, kneeling in front of him and putting her hands on his knees. 

“You know, I was once a low-class child with no potential.” Bardock says with a grin. 

“And that’s why Frieza would hunt you down.” Gine replies, grinning back. “A low-class infiltration baby sent to a planet with class two combatants and no moon, who then survived and came back? You are a bigger threat to Frieza than the prince himself.”

“My, my, how treasonous, my love.” Bardock growls, his hands skating down Gine’s arms. “I love when you tell me how strong I am.”

“ _ You _ are my king, Bardock. I worship you alone.” Gine says, voice low as she climbs into his lap and puts her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

“And I love you, my queen.” Bardock replies, cupping her face gently before kissing her hard. She giggles into his mouth and kisses him back, just as fiercely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried something new with this chapter. I wanted to explore how attack balls and scouters work a little bit, but it ended up kinda lame I think. Oh well. Got a little bardine at the end to make up for it lol XD
> 
> Anyway, sorry this took so long!! 2021 started off hella stressful, hasn't it? Anyway, I've been lowkey obsessing over Ghost of Tsushima, and lowkey writing a Ryuzo fic because I'm pathetic lol. I'm still very much hyperfixated on DBZ though, don't worry! I've got a few truten things I've been working on, and this fic, and then that monster radgeta AU that I'll eventually post lol, so look out for those! I am not fast, but they'll be up eventually!


	4. 21 December, Age 736

_ Hello, Raditz. You are now entering Planet Cheldi’s orbital range.  _

_ Attack Ball voyage protocol set to: vapor bath, end stasis _

_ Initiating vapor bath in three, two, one... _

_ It is time to wake up, warrior.  _

_ Today’s date is: 21 December, Age 736 _

_ Mission brief: destroy all lifeforms _

_ Additional details: planet required intact, class three combatants, no moon present, climate is mild, air quality sufficient _

_ Now entering Planet Cheldi’s atmosphere.  _

_ Wake up, Raditz. Destroy all lifeforms.  _

_ Wake up, Raditz. Destroy all lifeforms. _

_ Wake up, Raditz. Destroy all lifeforms. _

_ — _

Raditz wakes right as his attack ball touches down. There are several messages flashing on his scouter from his parents, and he frowns at them. As much as he’d like to hear his mom’s voice, he knows that if he listens to them now, he won’t be in a good headspace to fight. 

He hits the door lock and climbs out of the pod, jumping out of the crater it had made and stretching. He looks around, taking in the landscape, and activates the scanner on his scouter. 

“No combatants detected nearby.” He calls, watching as Nappa and Chard hop out of their craters. 

“You need to call your father.” Vegeta says quietly behind him then, making Raditz jump out of his skin. He hadn’t even heard him come up. 

“What, why?”

“Because he tried to initiate two essential calls and an emergency call with you a couple of weeks ago. He said it was important.” Vegeta says, his face more serious than Raditz has seen it since they’d met. 

“Why didn’t you let it go through?” Raditz asks. Vegeta frowns. 

“You needed to sleep. You looked like hell when we launched, and you’re no use to anyone if you’re dead on your feet.” The prince says, glancing sidelong at Fava as he jumps out of his crater and gives them a questioning look. 

“I saw the messages, but I’m not gonna be very focused if I talk to them now.” Raditz admits, feeling his face heat. Vegeta snorts and pins him with a hard stare. 

“There are no enemies nearby. Just call him. That’s an order.” He says, turning on his heel and marching away. 

“Yes, my prince.” Raditz grumbles, then turns so that he is facing away from his squad’s curious eyes. He presses the call button to open the line and turns the dial until he finds his father’s name. 

_ Please select signal urgency.  _

“Class two.” He says quietly, closing his eyes. 

_ Initiating class two transmission… _

_ Sending to: Captain Bardock’s scouter _

_ Hello, Raditz. You will be connected to Saiyan warrior mid-class, Captain Bardock. Please hold.  _

“Raditz?” Bardock answers, his voice thick and gravely with sleep. 

“Hi dad. The prince told me that you were trying to reach me.” Raditz replies. He hears rustling, then his mother’s voice quietly asking what’s wrong. 

“It’s Raditz. Hold on, son, let me connect your mother.” Bardock says softly. 

_ Connecting additional scouter: Gine’s scouter _

_ Hello, Gine. You are now connected with Raditz and Captain Bardock.  _

“I don’t have all day, dad.” Raditz huffs, crossing his arms over his chest and opening his eyes to stare out at the horizon. 

“I know, this won’t take long.” Bardock says with a gentle chuckle that makes Raditz’s heart twist. 

“Hi, baby. It’s mom.” Gine says suddenly. She sounds like she’s crying. 

“Hi, mom.” Raditz says. Panic rises in his throat like bile, burning in his chest and behind his eyes. “What’s wrong? Why do you sound so upset?”

“Nothing’s wrong, baby. Everything’s fine. I’m just glad to hear your voice.” She replies, sniffing. 

“Me too.” Bardock murmurs, but that only makes the panic worse. It floods Raditz’s little body and he starts to shake.

“Why did you need to reach me so urgently? Do I need to come back? What is  _ wrong _ ?” He says, voice turning frantic. 

“NO!” Both of his parents shout at once, making him flinch. 

“You’re scaring me.” Raditz whispers. 

“I’m sorry, baby. We’re sorry. But you’ve gotta complete your mission. Everything’s fine, we just miss you.” Gine says, her voice soothing and calm, and Raditz closes his eyes again and clings to it. 

“Did you get your mother’s message about Kakarot?” Bardock asks quietly, and Raditz’s eyes fly open again. 

“No, what’s wrong with Kakarot?”

“Nothing’s wrong. We woke him up. Just listen to the message, son. It explains everything and I… we should go. Let you get on with your mission.” Bardock replies. 

“No! No, you don’t get to do that, dad! You can’t just call me on an emergency signal, tell  _ Prince Vegeta _ to have me call you back immediately, and then tell me nothing’s wrong!” Raditz yells, not caring that his squad is staring at him. “Tell me what is happening!”

“Baby, you need to calm down. We just wanted to tell you that we love you.” Gine says, her voice gentle and it would be so easy to let her soothe him. To believe what she says. 

“Mom, please.”

“It’s okay, Raditz.” Gine says. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Both of you.” Raditz says through his teeth. 

Vegeta is behind him when he hangs up and turns around. There’s a constipated look on his face that Raditz doesn’t have the energy to decipher, and he grabs Raditz’s arm when he tries to push past him. 

“I will tell you what he told me when we set up camp for the night.” He says, his voice low. “Try to put it out of your mind for now.”

“Whatever.” Raditz huffs, wrenching his arm away. 

—

“Do you wanna take the lead, or shall I, my prince?” Nappa asks when Vegeta and Raditz rejoin the group. Vegeta huffs and looks up at him. 

“You may lead.” He replies. 

“All right. We’ll enter the city and split into two teams, working from the outside in.” Nappa says, turning the dial on his scouter. “Mission parameters are as follows: structural damage okay, minor landscape damage okay, no damage to resources, no planet destabilizing damage. So try to keep from using big energy based attacks. Close combat preferred, obviously. No prisoners. Got it?” 

“Yes, sir.” The rest of them answer in unison. 

“Vegeta, you’re with me. Raditz, you take point with Chard and Fava.” Nappa continues. 

“No.” Vegeta says, putting his hands on his hips. “I will take point with Raditz and Fava. Chard is with you. No sense in having the two strongest members of the group on one team and sticking Raditz with the two weakest.”

“Hey!” Chard snaps, tail lashing. “I’m a mid-class warrior, same as Raditz. So’s Fava. We’re not weak.”

“I didn’t say you were. I said you are the weakest of the group, which is true.” Vegeta sighs, turning to pin Chard with a hard stare. “Unless you think you are stronger than Raditz?”

“No! No, he doesn’t, my prince.” Fava says, shoving Chard aside and bowing at the waist. 

“Raditz and Fava are used to working together, yes? And Chard, you and Nappa are typically partners as well?” Vegeta asks, tail twitching. 

Chard glares at him for a moment, then huffs and looks away. “Yes, sir.” 

“Then what is the problem?” Vegeta presses. Chard flushes, his eyes firmly on the horizon. 

“No problem, your highness.” He says, his voice small and quiet. 

“Okay then. Does anyone else have any questions or complaints?” Vegeta asks, looking at each of them. 

“No, sir.” They all answer. 

“Very good. Then if that’s all, let’s move.” He says, striding forward. He hears Chard grumble something behind his back, which Nappa swiftly corrects, and he might have turned to address the warrior himself if Raditz had not jogged up to his side and grabbed his shoulder. 

“How about I lead, since this is your first field mission?” He asks, and there is no malice in his tone. When Vegeta looks at him, the older boy’s face is carefully blank. 

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Vegeta snaps.

“You think it’s gonna be easy, but it won’t be. If you need me to help you, I will.” Raditz says with a snort, drawing his hand back and crossing his arms. 

“I will tell you if I need help.” Vegeta growls. “In the meantime, just stay out of my way.” Raditz snorts again and drops back. 

“Fine.” He hears Raditz growl.

—

“Heads up, Vegeta!” Raditz yells, watching the prince duck under an incoming attack. Vegeta whirls and throws a ki-powered punch at his opponent, sending the creature flying. Another one is on him in an instant, but he sends that one flying too, his movements so fluid and tight that he hardly seems to move at all. He dances away from yet another attacker, leaping over its strike and kicking it so hard in the face that its head explodes, sending a spray of green all over the prince’s boot. 

“Fuck.” Vegeta hisses as he lands hard, stumbling sideways. His tail shoots out from around his waist, pinwheeling as he struggles to regain his balance, and his opponent grabs at it immediately. Raditz steps in before it can get its hands on his prince and punches through the creature’s gut, discharging his ki and tearing it apart from the inside out. “Thanks.” Vegeta huffs, shaking himself. 

“Don’t mention it.” Raditz replies. They stand with their backs to each other, so close that Raditz can feel the heat and energy rolling off of Vegeta’s little body, and for the first time, inexplicably, Raditz finally feels at home on the battlefield. 

“These things stink.” Vegeta huffs, backing into Raditz, his tail curling briefly around Raditz’s leg for stability before he seems to catch himself and whips it back around his own waist. 

“Need me to take over for a bit?” Raditz asks, keeping his voice low. 

“Yeah.” Vegeta says. “Just until I can catch my breath.” Raditz nods and throws himself back into the fight, flying at the native that is going for Fava’s back. He hits it hard, throwing his weight into the attack, and feels its ribs collapse on impact. Fava whips around and blasts another native to pieces, nodding his thanks before launching himself back into the fray. 

They fight for what seems like hours, Vegeta rejoining them at some point and taking control of the battlefield. 

Then, as though someone had flipped a switch inside Raditz’s brain, Raditz actually starts to enjoy himself. He gives in to his instincts, letting them carry him through the fight, and he starts to admire his own strength, reveling in how easy it is to tear his enemies apart with his own bare hands. Vegeta responds to his sudden confidence, fighting at his back, matching him move for move, and in that moment they are not just a prince and his subject. They’re partners, made to fight at each other’s side. 

It’s as natural as breathing, effortless and perfect, and Raditz hardly has time to think before Vegeta is exactly where he needs him. In turn, Raditz reacts to his prince’s every move flawlessly, ducking in where Vegeta pulls away, falling back where Vegeta rushes forward, a perfect ebb and flow that is so easy to get lost in that Raditz suddenly can’t remember why he’d been so reluctant to fight in the first place. 

It’s absolutely thrilling. His blood is on fire in his veins, his body so full of electricity that he thinks he might explode, and he can’t help but think that he’s never felt more alive in his life than he does in this moment. 

“I’m startin’ to feel like a third wheel.” Fava laughs when the fight starts to die down. “You two sure are hard to keep up with.” 

“Thanks.” Raditz says, blushing. Vegeta just snorts. 

They clean up the last remaining combatants quickly, and by the time the last one is dead, they are all wiped out. 

“We should find some food and get some shut-eye.” Fava says, dropping his tail from around his waist and stretching. “I’m beat.”

“You set up camp, then.” Vegeta says, looking up at the sky. “Raditz and I will go and find something to eat.”

“Yes, sir.” Fava says, happily setting about his work. 

“C’mon, Raditz.” Vegeta murmurs, turning and leading the way into the woods. 

—

Vegeta waits until they are well out of Fava’s earshot before he stops and calls Raditz back. 

“Yes, my prince?” Raditz asks, and Vegeta hates that he has to ruin the older boy’s apparent good mood. 

“I told you I would tell you what your father told me, yes?” Vegeta starts. 

“Oh. Yeah, I had forgotten.” Raditz says, frowning deeply. Vegeta takes a deep breath and takes his scouter off his ear, motioning for Raditz to do the same.

“Bardock told me that a call will come in soon for us to return home.” Be says, setting his scouter down on the ground and pacing away. “He told me to ignore it. That something terrible is going to happen and that returning would be worse than the punishment for disobeying orders would be.”

“What could be worse than disobeying Frieza?”

“Don’t say his name, fool.” Vegeta snarls. “Put your scouter down and get your ass over here.”

“Sorry.” Raditz huffs, petulant, and does as he’s told. “What could be worse than disobeying orders, Vegeta?” He repeats, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I don’t know.” Vegeta admits, suddenly unable to meet the older boy’s gaze. “But whatever it is, Bardock is scared of it.”

“He didn’t say anything to me.” Raditz says, and Vegeta can feel his eyes on him, sharp and worried. “Just said he wanted to hear my voice.”

“Is your father always so sentimental?” Vegeta asks, half teasing. Raditz frowns. 

“Sometimes, but not like that.” He murmurs. Then he gasps and Vegeta finally looks at him, perplexed at his suddenly panicked expression. 

“What is it?” Vegeta growls, vague fear coiling in his own gut. 

“My mother said she left me a message about my brother.” Raditz says, turning and striding back to his scouter. Vegeta watches the older boy fit the device over his ear once more and fiddle with the controls for a moment, then stills as he listens. He watches as Raditz’s face falls, his eyes filling with tears, startling when he stumbles backward, off-balanced. He tears his scouter from his ear again and drops it, tripping over his own feet and sitting down hard on the ground. Vegeta kneels next to him, his hand hovering over the other boy’s arm, and frowns deeply at him. 

“Raditz, what did the message say.” He asks firmly, flinching when Raditz’s eyes shift to meet his own, a tortured anguish in them that Vegeta has never seen before. 

“They sent him away.” Raditz whispers, tears spilling over his cheeks. “They sent Kakarot away. Why would they do that?”

“Who is Kakarot?” Vegeta presses, gripping Raditz’s arm and shaking him. 

“My little brother.” Raditz replies, his voice shaking. “Mom said they had no choice, but that doesn’t make sense. Kakarot’s weak, but my father wouldn’t do that. He was an infiltration baby himself, he knows how dangerous it is. He wouldn’t put his own son through that.”

“He’s a Saiyan, Raditz, same as us. That’s what we do. We exalt the strong and banish the weak.” Vegeta says, confused. 

“No!” Raditz screams, jerking away from him and staring at him with such ferocity that Vegeta recoils before he can think better of it. “Maybe that’s what your father would do, but not mine. My father loves us. He would never send Kakarot away. And if he tried, mom wouldn’t have just let him.”

“Well, maybe it has to do with what Bardock told me.” Vegeta says placatingly, shelving that argument for another day. Raditz looks away, staring off into nothing, then shakes his head. 

“I don’t know.” He whispers, turning his gaze back to Vegeta, so intense that Vegeta has to fight to maintain eye contact. “What do you think it means, Vegeta?” He asks, his eyes filling with tears again. But Vegeta just sighs and sits down next to the older boy, pressing their shoulders together in an attempt to give him at least some comfort. He feels Raditz’s tail seek out his own, hooking them snugly together, and Vegeta decides to allow it just this once. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I swear I'm still around, I've just been preoccupied lol
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	5. 29 December, Age 737

Six days after their arrival, the call to gather comes and Vegeta ignores it, just as Bardock had requested. Eight months after that, they are slated to return, but Vegeta ignores this too. He tells the squad that it’s because there are still holdouts that need to be crushed before they can leave, which is only partly true. Raditz alone knows the real reason, and it makes his stomach churn. 

Four months after the date they should have launched, a full year after the call to gather had been issued, Bardock’s fears come true. It is the other boot that Raditz and Vegeta had been waiting for, dropping down over their throats. 

They are taking a break in the shade of a ruined building, snacking on some sweet purple fruit and chatting lightly when the call comes in. Vegetasei has been destroyed. Everyone on it is dead. 

“A meteor.” Vegeta scoffs, biting into his fruit. “Bullshit.” Raditz looks down at him, feeling very far away, like he’s watching himself murmur some platitude to his prince from balcony seats, not quite able to hear what either of them are saying. 

_ My arm hurts _ , he thinks vaguely, rubbing his hand over his left bicep.  _ Must have pulled it when that bastard jumped me earlier _ . And it’s absurd how quickly his mind wanders to other things, how easily he shuts out any and all emotion before it has a chance to surface. He feels cold, thoughts scattered and drifting, and he squeezes his injured arm to try to bring himself back down to some semblance of focus. 

Then Nappa comes over and asks him about his brother, and Raditz lies. He scoffs and tells him about him being sent away, telling them all that he doesn’t care whether Kakarot lives or dies. Somewhere inside of him, some small, weak part of himself screams at him. 

“That’s not true!” It wails, kicking and sobbing. “You have to find him! You promised mom! They’re gone and Kaka is all you have left!”

“What are you thinking, Raditz?” Vegeta asks when the adults drift away, cutting his eyes towards the older boy and taking another bite from his fruit. 

“My arm hurts.” Raditz replies softly. “Think I pulled something.”

“Raditz.” Vegeta growls. 

“It’s okay, I think. Might need a band for it though. At least until it heals.” Raditz continues absently, looking out toward the horizon. “How much longer you think we’ll stay here, Vegeta? Frieza’ll be mad we missed our deadline.”

“Raditz.” Vegeta says again, a warning in his voice. 

“I don’t think we’ll be able to keep telling the others that we’re just exterminating holdouts. We haven’t come across a single soul in the last month, except for that little group today. They’ll find out eventually.” He continues, looking down at his prince again. “Wouldn’t want them discovering that we knew and didn’t do a damn thing about it.”

“And what were we supposed to do, Raditz?” Vegeta says, astonishment etched across his little face. “Go home and die with the others?” Raditz shrugs and looks out over the horizon again, tears finally welling in his eyes. 

“Maybe that would have been better anyway, Vegeta.” He whispers, then walks away from his prince, dropping his scouter and launching into the sky. 

—

Vegeta gives Raditz some time. He knows the older boy well enough by now to know that he spirals quickly, and that sometimes input from others only makes it worse. So Vegeta waits, keeping his scouter locked onto his energy signature and watching him flit around aimlessly. 

About an hour later, when Nappa asks where he’s gone and Fava offers to go and find him, Vegeta sighs and stands. 

“I’ll go get him.” He says, kicking into the air and flying toward the only other power source on the planet.  _ Raditz was right _ , he thinks.  _ This planet’s empty. It’s time to go. _

He lands in a clearing a few miles from the building they’d been next to when they’d gotten the news, the readout indicating that Raditz is around here somewhere. Vegeta crosses his arms over his chest, his tail dropping from his waist and waving idly as he looks around. Then he hears a congested sniff somewhere above him and looks up. 

Raditz is there, perched high in a tree, his face flushed and streaked with tears. Vegeta sighs and drops his scouter onto the ground, then floats up to him, clearing his throat to announce his presence. Raditz glances at him, sniffing again, then looks down at his hands. 

“You must think I’m pathetic, huh.” He says miserably. Vegeta watches him for a moment, then sighs again and moves to sit on the branch next to him. 

“I always think you’re pathetic, my friend.” He teases quietly, pushing the older boy’s shoulder with his own. “But not for this.”

“I keep thinking about the last time I spoke to my father.” Raditz says softly. “Really spoke to him, not over our scouters. He wanted to hear all about my missions the next time we saw each other. Now I’ll never get to tell him.” His voice breaks and he takes a deep, shaky breath. “And I just keep thinking, maybe that’s for the best. I had such a hard time with my first mission. Felt like a monster. He would have been disappointed.”

“I doubt that very much, Raditz.” Vegeta says. “My father hand chose every member of this squad. Nappa is the commander in chief of the entire Saiyan army. Fava and Chard are decorated and fiercely loyal soldiers. And you, my friend, were at the top of your class and the son of one of the best fighters in the army. You were put in this squad for a reason, Raditz. Do you really think the king would have put me, his son and the crown prince of our people, in a squad that had just been thrown together? Your father was proud of you, of that much I am certain.”

“I guess.” Raditz murmurs. He leans into Vegeta’s shoulder then, his tail once again seeking Vegeta’s own. 

“You know,” Vegeta says, allowing Raditz to twist their tails together, “my father would have cut off your tail himself if he saw us right now.” He feels Raditz’s tail bristle and chuckles softly. “Relax. I don’t mind.”

“I’m sorry, I just… My parents are— were very affectionate.” Raditz whispers. 

“I said I don’t mind, Raditz.” Vegeta replies, squeezing his tail gently with his own. 

—

“You are well past your deadline, Vegeta.” Frieza’s cool voice says softly over the attack ball’s communicator. Vegeta startles, fingers hovering over the control panel he had just finished punching coordinates into. “I was wondering if you were ever going to come home.”

“My apologies, Lord Frieza. We had some complications. The planet is ready for phase two.” Vegeta answers, gritting his teeth. 

“Hm… well, at least it’s done, now. I presume you heard about the meteor that struck your home world?” Frieza says, sick amusement in his voice. 

“Yes, sir.” Vegeta murmurs. 

“Such a tragedy. You have my deepest sympathies,  _ my prince. _ ” Frieza continues. 

“Thank you, sir.” Vegeta says, forcing the words out from between his teeth. Frieza chuckles, low and dark, then closes the line, leaving Vegeta alone. And for the first time since they’d learned of Vegetasei’s fate, tears slip free from Vegeta’s eyes, a sob catching in his throat. 

—

_ Hello, Kakarot. You are now entering Planet Earth’s orbital range.  _

_ Attack Ball voyage protocol set to: vapor bath, end stasis _

_ Initiating vapor bath in three, two, one... _

_ It is time to wake up, warrior.  _

_ Today’s date is: 12 May, Age 738 _

_ Mission brief: destroy all lifeforms _

_ Additional details: planet required intact, no combatants identified, one moon present, climate is mild, air quality excellent _

_ Now entering Planet Earth’s atmosphere.  _

_ Wake up, Kakarot. Destroy all lifeforms.  _

_ Wake up, Kakarot. Destroy all lifeforms. _

_ Wake up, Kakarot. Destroy all lifeforms. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I'm sorry. I've been busy and preoccupied with Ghost still, and I keep forgetting to update this D:


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